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The Dandy Lion Project Trail

Event Details

Description

Follow The Dandy Lion Project Trail to uncover additional images from the main The Dandy Lion Project from photographer Sara Shamsavari and her series, Rude Boys.

Rude Boys

Britain is not only the birthplace of dandyism, but also the first notable Black dandies. Perhaps the greatest contribution to this long tradition was the colourful and vibrant styles imported by waves of Black immigrants to the U.K. from the Caribbean and West Africa. The largest of these groups, and earliest – Jamaicans, established a rude boy subculture in their new land.

Rude boy culture, a term arising from youth street culture in Kingston, was distinctly shaped by mid-20th century jazz musicians and their sharply tailored suits, skinny ties and narrow brimmed hats. This cultural outsider movement filled the streets of London as it had in Jamaica and became an influencer of anti-establishment movements throughout the U.K. In response to The Dandy Lion Project, British-Iranian photographer Sara Shamsavari has documented some of these modern-day rude boys with Bajan, Jamaican, Grenadian, Nigerian, Ghanaian and Parisian roots, mixing and matching bespoke suits with Dutch wax prints from Vlisco. While less anti-establishment and more socio-economically progressive than their predecessors, they still defy categorisation.

The Dandy Lion Project – on show at University of Brighton, Edward Street Galleries
Curated by Shantrelle P. Lewis

European premiere

The Dandy LionProject explores global expressions of the Black Dandy phenomenon against the backdrop of contemporary life. The exhibition presents more than 150 images from over thirty photographers and filmmakers and is curated from an international open call by US curator, Shantrelle P. Lewis. The first comprehensive exhibition of its kind, this project highlights young men in cityscapes, defying stereotypical and monolithic understandings of Black male identity, by adopting Edwardian-era fashion and fusing this with traditional African sartorial sensibilities. Following acclaimed showings at Museum of Contemporary Photography – Chicago and Museum of African Diaspora – San Francisco, this European premiere of The Dandy Lion Project will also include a digital element featuring vintage family and archive images from a special call–out. A book accompanying the exhibition will be published by Aperture in Spring 2017.